1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a method for providing software, such as updated software or corrected software, to an implantable medical device system, of the type having an implantable medical device (IMD) and a presentation unit (PU).
2. Description of the Prior Art
Implantable medical device systems are currently available from a number of manufacturers. The details of the components of these various implantable medical device systems vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, however, most implantable medical device systems include the basic components of an implantable medical device (IMD) and a programmer or presentation unit (PU). One or both of these basic components is operable according to one or more software programs. The operating software program for each component is stored in that component.
It is almost certain that updated software or corrected software will become available for an implantable medical device system which is in use for any significant length of time. This means that the software currently stored in the components of the implantable medical device system must be replaced. This is currently accomplished by delivering the updated or corrected software to every programmer in the field, which is not only a time-consuming procedure in itself, but also results in an unavoidable delay in the updated or corrected software being physically present at the programmer after the time at which the updated or corrected software is created.
Additionally, this current procedure poses significant problems for clinics and hospitals, which use a number of different models of implantable medical device systems from each manufacturer. This requires the hospital or clinic to maintain a different programmer for each of these different models, and each time updated or corrected software becomes available for that model, the correct programmers must be identified for software replacement, and the delivered software must then be entered into the programmer. The updated or corrected software may alter not only the operation of the programmer, but also the operation of the implanted medical device. If the operation of the implantable medical device is altered by the updated or corrected software, then the programmer, with the updated or corrected software installed therein, must be placed in communication with each implanted medical device in the field which is in need of updated or corrected software. If the implanted medical device system does not include the feature of allowing remote communication between the implanted medical device and the programmer, this means that the patient in whom the implanted medical device is implanted must make a visit to the hospital or clinic so that the implanted medical device and the programmer can be placed in communication to download the updated or corrected software to the implanted medical device. If the correction or update is sufficiently important, this may require a special visit by the patient to the hospital or clinic. In other cases, the download of software to the implantable medical device will take place at the patient's next routine visit to the hospital or clinic, but this results in a further delay with respect to the actual installation of the updated or corrected software in the implantable medical device.